Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses to women boxers, and most nations officially banning the sport. Reports of women entering the ring go back to the 18th century.
The IBA Men's World Boxing Championships and the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships are biennial amateur boxing competitions organised by the International Boxing Association, which is the sport governing body. Alongside the Olympic boxing programme, they are the highest level of competition for the sport. The championships were first held for men in 1974 and the first women's championships were held over 25 years later in 2001.
The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is an international sports organization that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships. IBA consists of five continental confederations: AFBC, AMBC, ASBC, EUBC, and OCBC. The association includes 203 national boxing federations.
In boxing, a weight class is a measurement weight range for boxers. The lower limit of a weight class is equal to the upper weight limit of the class below it. The top class, with no upper limit, is called heavyweight in professional boxing and super heavyweight in amateur boxing. A boxing match is usually scheduled for a fixed weight class, and each boxer's weight must not exceed the upper limit. Although professional boxers may fight above their weight class, an amateur boxer's weight must not fall below the lower limit. A nonstandard weight limit is called a catchweight.
The 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships was held in Qinhuangdao, China from May 9 to May 22, 2012.
Nikhat Zareen is an Indian boxer who is 2 time world champion. She won a gold medal at the 2011 AIBA Women's Youth & Junior World Boxing Championships held in Antalya. Zareen won gold medals at the 2022 Istanbul, and 2023 New Delhi IBA Women's World Boxing Championships. She also won gold medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships was held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena in Doha, Qatar from 5 to 18 October 2015. This was a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The 2016 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 17 to 26 November 2016. The competition was under the supervision of the world's governing body for amateur boxing AIBA and is the junior version of the World Amateur Boxing Championships. The competition was open to boxers born in 1998 and 1999.
The 2018 Women’s European Boxing Championships was hosted and organized by the Bulgarian Boxing Association in Asics Arena, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2018. The event was held from 5 to 12 June 2018. The tournament was organized in association with the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC).
Lovlina Borgohain is an Indian boxer. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in the women's welterweight event, becoming only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics. She won gold medal at 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships and bronze medals at the 2018 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships and the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. Borgohain is the first female athlete and the second boxer from Assam to represent the state in the Olympics. In 2020, she became the sixth person from Assam to receive Arjuna Award.
The 2019 Women’s European Boxing Championships was hosted and organized by the Spanish Boxing Federation in Pabellón Amaya Valdemoro, Alcobendas, Spain in 2019. The event was held from 24 to 31 August 2019. The tournament was organized in association with the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC).
The 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Belgrade, Serbia from 25 October to 6 November. Belgrade was picked to host the championships for the second time; the original 2021 contract with New Delhi was cancelled due to a disagreement between AIBA and the Boxing Federation of India over hosting fees. AIBA also demanded the BFI pay a cancellation penalty of US$500,000.
The 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships (21st) were held in Kielce, Poland, from 13 to 23 April 2021. The competition was held under the supervision of AIBA, the world's governing body for amateur boxing, and was open to boxers born in 2002 and 2003. It was the third time in the tournament's history that men and women have fought in the same championship. India topped the medal table with eight gold and three bronze medals.
Firuza Sharipova is a Kazakhstani professional boxer who held the WIBA lightweight title in 2019. As of December 2021, she is ranked number two in the world by the WBA.
The 2022 Youth European Boxing Championships, the 32nd European Boxing Championships for youths aged 17 to 19, took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 14 to 21 April 2022. The event was organized by the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC). To participate, boxers must have been born in 2004 or 2005.
The 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 8 to 20 May 2022.
Dina Zholaman is a Kazakh boxer. She competed at the 2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, winning the gold medal in the bantamweight category. Zholaman also competed at the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, winning the bronze medal in the bantamweight event.
The 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships were the 13th edition of the championships, held in New Delhi, India from 15 to 26 March 2023. India topped the medal tally for the first time after 2006.
The 2023 IBA World Boxing Championships were held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 30 April to 14 May 2023. Athletes from all five continents took part in the championship and competed for medals in 13 weight categories, which were approved by the Board of Directors of the International Boxing Association (IBA) in July 2021.
